


Change

by scarletsaber (sushibunny)



Category: Free!
Genre: First Kiss, Fixing Canon, Free! Starting Days, M/M, Starting Days Spoilers, The Pool Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 07:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7609456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/scarletsaber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru hates change, especially when it involves Makoto.</p>
<p>But maybe that's not always the case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based on the now infamous pool scene from Starting Days (you can watch it subbed [HERE](http://misakis-saruhiko.tumblr.com/post/147810543587/harumakotokyo-for-those-who-cant-wait-anymore)). Ever since I first saw this particular moment I couldn't help but think it should have gone a _bit_ differently, so with some prodding from keepleaves, I decided to write a little drabble about what we could have had ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

Haru didn’t understand what was happening.

He hadn’t understood much since middle school began- everything was suddenly changing, every _one_ was suddenly changing and he didn’t know why, didn’t like it, _hated_ it- but then Makoto was dragging him down the shrine steps, holding his hand like he hadn’t in what felt like forever, and Haru was more confused than ever. His confusion only increased when Makoto pulled him down the street without a word, through the dark and quiet town and in the back entrance of the Iwatobi Swim Club. Before he could even ask how Makoto had known the door would be unlocked, or why they were even there in the first place, they had reached the edge of the pool and Makoto had dropped Haru’s hand just as suddenly as he had grabbed it, kicked off his shoes, and dove in.

Haru could only stare in surprise and awe as Makoto, still fully dressed, surfaced, giving him _that_ smile- the one that had been absent for days now, the one Haru had missed more than he would ever admit, the one that made his chest warm; the one Makoto only gave to _him_.

And that was all it took for Haru to realize he understood enough; Makoto was smiling again and they were at a pool, water lit up only by the moonlight filtering in through the glass ceiling, and he dove in too.

He lost track of how long they were in the water, though that was nothing new for him. He was surprised to find Makoto didn’t seem to care about the time either; every time Haru glanced over his friend was swimming or floating happily close by, a smile still gracing his lips and eyes often closed, as if the entire outside world had melted away for him too. Haru wondered if Makoto was finally beginning to understand the water the way Haru did.

Or maybe Makoto had come to his own understanding, about a lot of things. It had sure seemed that way when he looked at Haru right before whisking him away to the pool. His green eyes had lit up, as if he had finally found a long sought after answer, though Haru was unaware of the question. He had only told Makoto the truth: Makoto was Makoto. It was the one thing in the world Haru was sure about, had been sure about before middle school and everything started to change, at least.

Before Makoto started to change.

Truly, that was what had irked Haru the most. Why would Makoto want to change? Makoto was… Makoto was _everything_. He was Haru’s constant, his ever-present pillar, his rock. Makoto was always there for Haru no matter what. And if that changed, if Makoto changed into something else, Haru felt like his world would collapse. It _had_ collapsed, he realized. The moment after their practice relay, when Makoto’s hand hadn’t been there, reassuring and reaching for him, Haru’s world had started to crumble. And he had hated it.

And Makoto wouldn’t tell him why. The way his heart clenched when Makoto stood there and lied to him about nothing having happened- multiple times; nothing had hurt quite like that had. And when Makoto hadn’t picked him up before school, changing their routine, changing more things between them, Haru didn’t know what else to do but lash out in his own silent way. And it had only hurt worse when Makoto hadn’t pushed, hadn’t insisted Haru eat dinner with his family, that Haru not be left alone. And the silence grew between them, no longer comfortable or filled by Makoto’s ramblings about his family or the latest video game or their classes or swimming, but rather by an awkward tension that neither would admit to. It had been stifling, and Haru couldn’t help the angry words that spilled out when Makoto confronted him about his eating habits.

But apparently his small tirade had done some good somehow, for some reason. Because there they were. Together. Swimming. Two of Haru’s favorite things combined and he couldn’t be any happier at the moment.

His chest felt tighter when Makoto dove under the water, swimming under the surface with all the fluidity and grace most people attributed to Haru. But as Haru followed his friend’s lead, slipping beneath the water and lazily kicking over until he was swimming parallel to Makoto, first above and then trading places seamlessly until Haru was below, he couldn’t help but think Makoto swimming was the most beautiful thing of all.

Green eyes looked down at him, their soft shine undulled by the dimly lit water. Haru felt like he was getting increasingly lost in Makoto’s gaze- this was why he usually made it a point not to maintain eye contact with Makoto; for some reason it only increased the warm feeling in his chest and made his stomach twist strangely. But there, together in the water, all barriers between them gone, Haru couldn’t help but stare. And he realized Makoto was staring back.

Haru wasn’t sure what kind of expression he wore, what Makoto was reading in his look, but whatever it was must have been pleasing to Makoto because he gave a silent laugh through his ever-present grin, eyes falling shut for a moment. Haru thought he looked angelic like that, hair floating freely in the water, the moonlight drifting down into the water surrounding him like a shining blue halo. He felt like he should blush and look away like he usually would, but then Makoto’s eyes were open again, looking down at him with such warmth and caring that Haru felt like he was trapped.

A good kind of trapped. The kind he never wanted to escape from.

Then Makoto was reaching for him, both arms extended down towards Haru as they continued to drift through the water together, ever in sync. Something about the look in Makoto’s eyes, the way he reached down, like he wanted to pull Haru to him and never let him go, made Haru finally able to move again. And the only place he wanted to go was up, right into wherever Makoto’s arms would take him, he realized, eyes widening in surprise.

His heart beat fast and loud in his ears when he reached back, slowly stretching his hands out to touch Makoto’s. He watched intently as Makoto grasped his hands in his own, clasping him tightly, as if he was afraid to let go. And Haru never wanted him to, Makoto should always hold his hand, should never let it go, and wasn’t that the start of this whole issue all along?

So he watched in wonder, gaze never wavering from Makoto’s as he let himself be pulled up through the water, closer and closer, anticipation rushing through his veins. Anticipation for what he didn’t know; all Haru knew was that whatever was coming, whatever Makoto was pulling him towards, was something that had been approaching for a long time.

And when Makoto’s eyes finally closed, their faces a hair’s breadth apart, bodies gently meeting from the momentum of the pull, hands still tightly wrapped together, Haru followed suit, accepting what was to come.

_Sometimes change is alright_ , Haru thought as pool-cooled lips met his own in a soft underwater kiss.


End file.
